Obsidian Studio - Eurorack Power Series

The Obsidian Studio Series is a high power, high efficiency, low noise power solution for modular synthesizer systems. The unique hybrid design offers a first stage of high-efficiency switching regulation, as well as second stage of low-noise linear regulation right at the point of distribution. It’s unique modular design allows for endless upgradability, as your power requirements increase, and EVERYTHING is plug and play.

Guide to Planning your Obsidian Studio Power System:

1) Laying The First Brick

The Obsidian Studio Series is powered by 15V DC. We recommend using one of our external “brick” chargers to generate this.

Your power requirements will vary depending on how much power your modules use, but as a general rule of thumb, our 90 watt Obsidian Gale brick is suitable for up to 4 rows of modules, and our 144 watt Obsidian Hurricane should supply most things above that.

2) Gaining Access

To interface the brick with your Obsidian busboards, you can use one of our power-entry modules. Each module contains two inputs with three outputs each (six in total).

FRONT-PANELis a euro-rack module with one 2.5mm/5.5mm barrel plug for small to medium sized bricks like Obsidian Gale, as well as one 4-pin DIN input for higher power bricks like our Obsidian Hurricane. Each input has three Quick-Clip-2 connectors on the back.

BACK-PANEL is suitable for mounting on the back or side of your case via a 3cm x 7cm cutout. This module is suitable for serious players only, with two 4-pin DIN inputs for higher power bricks like our Obsidian Hurricane. Each input is connected to three Quick-Clip-2 connectors on the back.

3) An Even Distribution

Distributing 15V DC power to the active busboards is as simple as connecting a Quick-Clip-2 cable from the back of your power module, to one of the two Quick-Clip sockets on the active busboard.

15V DC power can then be distributed to other active busboards by simply daisy chaining them.

For best performance on larger set-ups, try to share the power across more than one chain by using up to three separate chains per brick.

If you need to add another brick to help share the load, plug it in to the second power input, and plug one of your chains into it’s output

4) Staying Active

At the heart of the system is the modular busboard. Both passive and active busboards contains the second stage local linear regulators on all 3 rails.

The active version however also contains 3 high power Obsidian Power Modules to provide the first stage bulk regulation to each rail of each busboard.

Once your Active Busboard is supplied with 15V DC power via a Quick-Clip-2 cable on one of the left hand connectors, You are ready to go!

The eyes on the white Power Modules will light up red when the first stage regulators are working, and the green LEDs on the busboard will light up to confirm second stage regulation.

At this stage you are ready to plug in your modules, and rock out.

Each LED corresponds to one of the 3 rails. If you have a problem with one of the rails, the LED will turn off to show where the problem is

**GIF of shorting out one of the rails with a wrench or something and then the LED turns off? Maybe I should do this one.**

5) Passive Agressive

Once you have an active busboard working, you can power up to two extra passive busboards from it via a Quick-Clip-4 cable on the right hand side.

The passive busboard is working properly when all 3 green LEDs turn on.

If attaching more than one passive busboard, the recommended way is to have one on either side of the active busboard.

You can also daisy chain them in series

**GIF of changing wiring from start to series and then powering it.**

6) Upgrading

There is a limit to the amount of current that an active busboard can supply, and this depends entirely on how much current your modules draw.

With some set-ups you will be able to easily run three rows from one active module (1 active + 2 passive).

If you have very power hungry modules in your set-up, then you may need an active busboards on every row.

A good middle ground starting point is to have one passive module per active module.

If you need more power, then you can easily upgrade any passive busboard to an active busboard.

Simply remove the Quick-Clip-4 cable connecting it to any other active modules on the right hand side, attached a Quick-Clip-2 cable to supply 15V DC on the left hand side, and install the 3 Active Modules in their respective sockets on the busboard.

Remember to match the the correct module with the correct socket and orientation. For example make sure the +12V module goes in the socket marked “+12V” and the -12V module goes in the socket marked “-12V”.

- If the red LEDs on the Active Modules are lighting up, but not the green LEDs on the busboard, you may have installed the wrong module in the wrong socket.

- If none of the LEDs are lighting up, then you may have either installed the Active Module the wrong way round, or improperly in the socket.